The Days In Between
by MedliSage
Summary: A collection of oneshots detailing the miscellaneous happenings from day to day inside Wammy's House. Extreme fluff and my random thoughts ensue.
1. Sugar

**The Days In-Between**  
_By MedliSage_

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I: "Sugar"

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L was quite brave for a boy of seven. He seemed to have no fears, none that any of the other children could tell of, anyway. But, you see, no children were awake at night – except for L – so naturally, none of them knew.

This was just another one of those bad nights, what with the wind howling, the thunder crackling, the branches of a large tree going _chh chh_ against the wall, and the rain continually rapping against the window.

It was sort of embarrassing to L, since no other child seemed scared of this, but he did, in fact, have a fear of the dark, and it was especially bad when there was terrible weather like this. He didn't know why he disliked it like this, but he'd had this phobia since before he could remember.

So this night, just like any other stormy night, he hid under his covers, holding his pillow over his ears. Of course, that didn't do much, he still heard them_ ba-boom_ of the thunder, and the harsh pounding the rain, and the raw _wooshes_ of power from the wind, but at least he couldn't see the bright flashes of lightning.

However, he did have one trick for making himself feel better. He took the pillow off of his head, turned and leaned down off the side of the bed – reaching his hand under his bed (which looked upside-down to him) he pulled out a container. He took the lid off, put a hand inside, and took out a few sugar cubes and put the jar back under his bed. Crawling back under the covers, he plopped the cubes into his mouth, one by one.

Now at least he could focus on sucking on the raw sugar instead of paying attention to the horrible noises of the night.

However, the downside to this was that he hardly ever slept, and was left with dark rings under his eyes constantly.

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A/N: Er. I had so much trouble picking a first chapter for this, but, yeah... anyway I hope it provided some entertainment. :P I really want to continue this for a long time, just writing about various incidents at Wammy's House... there'll be lot of Near and Mello too, so it's not completely L either. Yeahhh. Uh. Reviews much appreciated, thank you very much. :3


	2. Rival

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II: "Rival"

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Nate River – known to Wammy's House as Near, or N – was a genius, but everyone knew that. Everyone wanted to be his friend when he first got there.

Everyone, save for Mihael Keehl – who was M, but he called himself "Mello."

This really pissed him off. Mello was the smartest kid at Wammy's House, except for L – but he was okay with not being as smart as L, since L was ten years older than him. This kid was two years younger than him, and seemed to think he just stroll on in and take away his popularity, fame, and strip his title of the young genius of the Wammy House from him.

And get this! The kid was only three! _Three!_ Yet he spoke coherent and maturely, precise and efficiently, and never lost in any sort of competition. Oh, Mello had challenged him to all sorts of things. Puzzles, games, brain teasers... any sort of test of intellect. And, he always came _this close _to beating him. Literally by split seconds or by the smallest of errors.

And the way L fawned over him. Like the kid was the second coming of Jesus freaking Christ or something. He spent all his time with him, reading, teaching, tucking him into freaking bed... like he used to do with Mello, when he was that age. He still spent time with Mello, but not nearly as much since this little freaky albino kid came.

Oh, and then there was the way he never showed any freaking emotion. Quite scary for a kid who was his age. How the hell did he do that? Mello felt like he was going to lose it every time he saw the kid, having this intense urge to slam him against the wall, hard. Multiple times, probably, which is why he had trouble going to sleep at night, since he had the bed next to him. He'd seen him show the slightest bit of happiness or sadness, but only around – you guessed it – L.

He was so freaky, too! He never went outside, resulting in skin so pale it was creepy, and with the silver hair he looked like some kind of ghost. And – and the way he would just... stare. Just, _stare._ Like he was looking right through you. Especially the way he did it whenever Mello glared at him.

If anything in this world could get him worked up, it was this little punk. He'd beat him one day, at something, if it was the last thing he did.

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A/N: Er. I originally had a oneshot going about this, but I didn't like the way it was coming out so I never published it, and just turned it into this little Mello-drabble. Yeah, I had expected it to be more of a direct Near-Mello confrontation about when Near first got there, but it sorta just turned into this drabbling monologue. Well whatever, it was entertaining to write, and I hope entertaining to read. :P


	3. Tactics

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III: "Tactics"

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Once again, the chance presented itself for Mello to best Near – there's no way he'd lose, it was something he was good at. Something that involved athleticism, too.

For once, Near was outside – maybe the last time in months? Whatever, it didn't matter. What matted was that Mello was going to take this water gun and shoot Near before Near shot him – and then he would win.

The seventeen-year-old L watched the game unfold, hands in his pockets. It was a beautiful summer day, and there was a gentle breeze in the air. He leaned against the tree, observing the two play. The leaves gave a light rustle above his head as he watched Mello, standing at a corner of the building. The young boy of only seven peaked his head around the corner, and, not seeing Near, continued along the edge of the building, occasionally looking behind him to make sure he was not being followed.

Mello knew Near was hiding somewhere. But where? He eyed the bushes... no. Doubtful that Near would get himself dirty unless he was desperate. He checked behind him once again – no. Then, much to his surprise, Near came out from the corner in front of him – unarmed! He must be getting a loaded gun, this was his chance! The silver-haired boy saw him, ducking and tumbling forward to avoid the shot. He probably didn't mean to, but he rolled right in front of Mello – the boy was never adept at physical activity, considering he never _did_ any.

_Ah, Near, you've finally messed up, and now, it's my win,_ Mello thought with a smug look on his face. He pointed his water pistol directly at Near's head –

And out of nowhere, Near whipped out a plastic square and put it in front of his head, directly reflect the shot of water back to Mello's face.

The blonde recoiled, wiping the water out of his eyes.

"I win," the five-year-old said.

"N-no you don't! You didn't shoot me!"

"Maybe not directly, but the rules are, the first one to be shot with a water gun loses. And you were shot first."

Mello bit his cheek to avoid throttling him.

The two turned upon hearing L's voice, "Good job, you two, that was a good match."

Near stood, putting the plastic square back into his shirt as Mello just pouted.

"Would you two like some lunch?"

The silver-haired child nodded, and Mello followed the two inside.

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A/N: Not much to say. Reviews much appreciated. :3


	4. Near

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IV: "Near"

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Nate River had just arrived at Wammy's House. He'd only been there a day, but the person called "L" seemed to have taken a liking to him and took good care of him. They'd played together, mostly solving puzzles together (Nate was good at that). He didn't like being called just a letter though like L all the time, he wanted a name – like the "M" boy, he was "Mello."

So as the three-year-old sat across from L, his fingers messing with a strand of his hair, he asked, "L. I want a name."

L blinked. "Hm?"

"Like... like Mello. Something other than 'N.'"

"Well, I don't see why you can't have one."

"...Can you think of one for me?"

The young boy surprised the fifteen-year-old. "Huh?" After a pause, "Why me?"

The silver-haired child stayed silent.

L lightly tapped his thumbnail against his teeth. "Okay, hmm..." He held his knees to his chest. "...How about 'Near?'"

"Nee-aa?" He tried pronouncing it.

"It's an English word. Meaning 'close to.'"

"...Why that?"

Much to the child's surprise, L put one hand on the mess of silver hair, ruffling it a bit. Even more so to his surprise, he gave him a small smile, the first time Nate had seen him do something like that. "Because, you're always _near_ to the truth."

The small child blinked, surprised – but after a moment's hesitation, he slowly put his arms around the older boy.

L returned the gesture.

And that is how Nate River, N, became "Near."

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A/N: Er, yeah. This is based off an idea/comment I had in my story "Last Day" so I changed it a little, made it longer, and put it here. :P Hope you guys liked it.


	5. Lunch

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V: "Lunch"

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"L, I'm hungry," the eight-year-old Mello said.

"...But you just had lunch."

"Well, I'm still hungry."

"Okay then... well, I haven't eaten yet and neither has Near, so why don't we all eat?"

Mello winced slightly at the thought of spending more time with Near, but the silver-haired boy calming agreed, "That's fine with me."

The group headed to the small kitchen, and L asked, "Well what do you guys want?"

"Something simple. I'm not starving, just slightly hungry," Near said.

"Same," agreed Mello.

"Okay then, how about sandwiches?"

The two nodded, and L opened the cabinet and got out two, putting them on the counter. He proceeded to take the bag of bread off of the refrigerator and untie it.

"Aren't you going to eat, L?" Near asked.

"Yeah. Not a sandwich, though... I'll go to my room after. I have some food there. But I'll get some tea I guess."

Near imagined L's room – he was the only child in the orphanage to have a room to himself. Near had been in it, once, so he knew of the table covered with sweets all over, except for where his laptop was. He didn't know why, but L seemed to only eat sweets – and was puzzled him more was that L always remained underweight and healthy, except for the lack of sleep – but enough of Near's speculations, and back to the story:

Mello walked over to the counter, where he could barely reach the plate and reach to grab the contents of the surface. "I'll make it. You can just go eat, L."

"Hm? You sure?"

Near nodded. "I will then, too."

L smiled inwardly and stepped back. Instead of going up to his room, he decided to watch this – it might be amusing.

Near, who could barely reach (being even shorter than Mello) strained to grab the bread after Mello had taken two pieces. Upon taking the bread pieces out, he went to the other cabinet, and took the container of peanut butter out. Mello proceeded to go the refrigerator, taking out a container of jam and going back to his plate.

Near took a butter knife out of the drawer and precisely spread out the peanut butter he scooped out of the jar onto one piece of bread – not letting any roll over the edge of the bread, even onto the plate, and going onto each side neatly, with the peanut butter evenly spread out throughout the surface of the bread.

Meanwhile, Mello squirted the jelly out in a large mass at the center of one piece of bread, not bothering to spread it. Once Near was done with the peanut butter, they traded spreads and Mello took the knife.

Near blinked, but proceeded to just take another knife out of the drawer.

Mello looked at him. "Why do you need another?"

"To spread the jelly."

"You don't need a knife to spread jelly. Just put it on."

"I could do that, but it'd be messy."

"Not if you don't put too much on."

"You'll end up getting some on you."

"No I won't!"

"Yes you will."

"No, I won't!"

"Yes you will."

Mello scowled, deciding not to continue to meaningless argument. He spread the peanut butter angrily onto his other piece of bread, then stuck the too together. Near repeated the process of articulately spreading the jelly evenly across the slice. He then put his sandwich together and took a bite.

Mello swallowed his bit of sandwich. "But see how long that took you! I'm halfway done and you just started!"

"...But I don't have jelly on my shirt," Near said, pointing to a spot on Mello's shirt which now had a dab of jelly on it. The orange-haired boy scowled as Near took another small bite.

Meanwhile, L suppressed a smile as he watched them. _They're so different, yet so alike._

He surely did enjoy spending time with them.


	6. Lonely

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VI: "Lonely"

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For once in his life, fifteen-year-old L was sleeping – or attempting to, anyway. Watari had commented earlier on how it was better for his mental health to get sleep, but L was fine with just eating sugar constantly and never having to really sleep, but just take short naps in his chair. Regardless, this night he decided to sleep in a bed, like a normal person.

It was an unusually cold October night, and the trees were all shades of red, orange, and brown – though most of these leaves had fallen off by now. L looked at his clock – 1 A.M. He didn't understand how people did this "sleeping" thing – he had been lying here for an hour and a half, and nothing. He didn't feel like sleeping, he didn't want to sleep, he had work to do, he had a sugar headache, he wanted some cake, he was thirsty, he coudn't stand lying down, and what was this stupid thing tugging on his blankets all of a sudden?!

L poked his head out of his covers and looked next to his bed, where the tugging was coming from – and much to his surprise, he saw a small figure, whose silver-haired head was illuminated and glistened in the moonlight.

"...Near? What are you doing here?"

The boy was silent.

"It's late. ...You should get some sleep."

He remained motionless, twirling a few strands of his hair, looking down at the ground.

L looked at him for a while. What did he want? He tapped his thumbnail against his teeth. At a loss, he said, "Is something wrong?"

"...I'm lonely. ...And I had a bad dream. ...So I was scared."

L blinked. What? What was he talking about? There were multiple children in his dorm. He couldn't possibly be lonely. And a bad dream? Near was only four, but didn't he know by now that dreams were just thoughts while one was asleep? They were nothing but a fantasy, nothing to be afraid of. Before he could speak, the child said,

"...Can I sleep with you?"

L almost tumbled out of bed. What?_ What? _Near wasn't making sense – the bed might hold two of them, but it would be uncomfortable. And, if one of them were sick, the other would surely catch germs as well, and of course there was just the blatant ridiculousness of sharing beds over this "loneliness" and the fantasy of a nightmare – all this logic ran through L's head, but despite it all...

"...Sure."

He shifted to one side of the bed, and Near slipped under the covers next to him.

L didn't really know what to do – he had never shared a bed with someone, much less someone likely in need of comfort and attention. Luckily, Near was an innocent child with no fear of awkward social situations – or so L deduced after he snuggled up next to him.

This certainly felt strange to the teenager. Slowly and uneasily, he put an arm around the small boy. Not really knowing what to say and wanting to ascertain Near's comfort, he asked, "...Do you feel better?"

"...Yeah."

And much to L's surprise, the two were asleep within minutes.

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The sun shone brightly through the window pane as morning arose. L opened his eyes slowly, and not immediately remembering the events of the past evening, was quite surprised to find Near staring straight at him.

Quickly recalling what he had happened last night, he patted Near's head and ruffled his hair. "...Good morning." He gave a small smile.

"...Why did you let me sleep with you last night? ...I presumed you were going to reject my request."

L, much to Near's surprise, gave him a warm, loving smile. "...Because I was sort of lonely, too."

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A/N: _FLUFF CITY! x3_


	7. Friends

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VII: "Friends"

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The sun beat down hotly on the soft summer grass, with children's cries of joy resounding about as they ran through the warm air, their bare feet carrying them across the ground as they played amongst each other. The cicadas chirped in the heat, and it would probably be too hot to be outside if it weren't for the light cool breeze of the wind, which blew a young blonde child's hair softly across his face as he sat against a tree, the shade protecting him from the sun's rays.

The boy looked straight ahead of him; he could see inside the orphanage, because the door was open due to the heat . Inside, he saw a boy with a puzzle in front of him, a boy of the mere age of seven; he hated him.

Mello looked down at his feet, feeling something crawl against his skin. He saw a small bug of some sort, one that had crawled over from the grass. He leaned forward and violently swept the insect off of him – how he wished he could do that Near.

Thinking of his rival, he looked back into the orphanage he called home – he saw the small child, working at his puzzle like usual. He was the only one not playing outside. It was a beautiful day, and yet Near had decided to sit inside – not like this was a surprise, he never went beyond the doors to the outside world, but no matter how many times Mello thought about it, it always bothered him. How could he live with staying inside all the time, working at puzzle after puzzle? Didn't it bore him? And – he had been working at puzzle after puzzle for hours and hours. He _must_ be tired by now...

...He sighed. Despite his dislike of Near, he thought about the kid all the time – and that's what really bothered him. He didn't _want_ to think about Near, he wished Near didn't _exist_ – well maybe that was a bit harsh – but he just did. Constantly.

Mello glanced once again inside the building – Near was sitting motionless. After a moment, he took the puzzle and tipped it over, letting all the pieces fall out. The blonde child blinked. Had he messed up? Probably. Near proceeded to flip the board the right way, putting a few pieces back in. He reached to the pile of pieces to grab one, and then stopped mid-motion – his eyes darted around the pile. He spread the pieces out with his hand, scanning for one – it seemed he couldn't find it.

Mello looked down at his hand, which was curled into a fist. He opened it, slowly, and saw the piece he had stolen before Near started the puzzle. He had wanted Near to be unable to finish the puzzle. He wanted him to fail. He wanted him to know how he felt – like a loser.

Despite his will and ambition that he had when he stole the puzzle piece, and despite his desire to make Near feel miserable – Mello stood up, the wind blowing his hair in front of his face, and walked into the orphanage. Upon his entrance, Near stopping moving his hand that was searching for the missing piece, and in turn, Mello stopped walking.

"...Were you looking for this?" The blonde held out the puzzle piece in his palm.

Near slowly turned his head towards him, looking up at the piece. "...Yes."

Mello stepped forward, and Near silently took the piece out of his hand. He stared at him.

"...Wh-what is it? Don't stare at me like that."

Near opening his mouth slightly, to reply – but no sound came out. He closed it, and looked back at his puzzle. After a moment, he started putting more pieces in.

Mello stood still for a minute, and the only noise that could be heard where the children outside, the cicadas, and the quiet placement of the pieces in the puzzle as Near slipped them in.

The blonde child kneeled in front of the puzzle, on the opposite side of the younger boy. He glanced from the puzzle to the pile of pieces, before silently taking a piece and putting it in.

Near watched him put a couple more fragments in, not making a move. After a moment's hesitation, he said slowly, "...What are you doing?"

"...I'm helping you with the puzzle. Isn't that obvious?" Mello said, continuing to put pieces in without making eye contact with Near.

"I don't recall ever asking for you to help me."

"Alright then, can I help you?"

Near instantly opened his mouth to say no, but he stopped as no sound came out. Despite all the voices in his head screaming otherwise, the word that came out of his mouth was, "...Sure."

Mello's hand faltered and paused a moment, surprised by the reply, but then continued to put pieces in, Near doing the same.

The room was silent of their voices for a long few minutes, the cicadas continuing to chirp and the children outside continuing their cries of joy and other emotions as they ran about in the summer air.

"...After this, do you want to come outside with me?" The blonde asked.

"...Alright."

Soon after, the puzzle was complete. The two stared at it, not looking at each other.

"...Thanks for the help."

"...Yeah."

"...Did you want to go outside now?"

"...Yeah."

The young boys stood almost simultaneously, and walked out the door together. Near instantly put his arm over his eyes, shading them from the harsh rays of the sun that he was unfamiliar to.

Mello almost laughed, looking down at him. Near was two years younger than him, but he was also short for his age. His silver hair shimmered in the sunlight, and he looked up at Mello, who was holding back his obvious laughter. "...What is it?" Near asked, not removing the arm from in front of his eyes.

"...Nothing. It's just kind of funny."

"What is?"

"The fact that you're so sensitive to the sunlight."

Near blinked. "I can't help it. My skin's very light."

Mello thought for a moment. "Want to go in the shade?"

Near gave a small shrug, as if to say "whatever," so Mello walked over to the tree he had been sitting at him with and Near followed. He sat against the tree, and the smaller boy did the same next to him.

"...So what did you want to do?" Near asked, twirling a few strands of his hair with one hand, and holding his knees to his chest with the other.

"...I don't know," the blonde replied. He glanced at Near, who wasn't looking at him. He was – he admitted – quite jealous. The kid was a pure genius. ...He wanted to be better than him. ...He hated him.

He shut his eyes, muling over this for what felt like hours. But for a moment, he thought – maybe just for a minute, they could be friends. He opened his eyes and went to speak, and looked at Near – who was sound asleep, his head on Mello's shoulder.

Mello blinked in surprise. He wasn't partial to having Near leaning on him, much less sleeping on him – but strangely enough, the motion of leaning his head against the top of Near's and shutting his eyes wasn't all that bad.

And the noise of the children and the cicadas slowly drifted away as the warm summer air lulled him to sleep with his friend.

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A/N: o.O; I dunno, I originally was writing it intending it to be a oneshot by itself but I felt it would be a nice addition to this story... I personally really like it (yeah I'm a sucker for that fluffly stuff) but yeah. Please review. I've noticed a lot of people have put this on their subscription list, but I still only have one reviewer. Please people, I want feedback.


	8. Clouds

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VIII: "Clouds"

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"...But what's the point of this?"

"...I'm not entirely sure. But most children find it amusing, so I thought maybe you two would."

"I guess that one looks like... a bar of chocolate."

"...That one sort of looks like... a teddy bear."

L blinked, looking up at the clouds, resting on his arms which were folded behind his head. The two children, one on each side of him, were mimicking his position as the group stared above at the clouds in the middle of the beautiful late-spring day, the wind lightly blowing across their faces. L was happy to get Near out of the house – the three-year-old hardly ever went out. He was also happy to get Mello to just – relax, for once. The kid was always dashing off from one place to the next, it was miracle to see him lying still. And, he wasn't arguing with Near. Always a good thing.

The fourteen year old sighed a sigh of comfort and relaxation. Near had only been here – what, two months? And Mello for about a year. Yet, despite his introverted personality, total lack of a social life, and general dislike of people – he really, really liked these two. He didn't really know why, either. He shut his eyes in thought, but was quickly interrupted by a voice; "L? What do you think that one looks like?"

He looked to his left where the noise had come from, and saw Near pointed towards a specific cloud. He turned his attention upward and stared at the white fluff for a moment. "I think it looks like a strawberry."

"Oh. I thought it looked like a slice of pizza."

"You're both wrong," Mello said. "It looks like an ice cream cone. Minus the ice cream."

"I suppose it could be any of those things, depending on how you look at it," L said.

The three were silent for a minute, content with simply lying on the soft grass under the warm sun, letting the cool wind gently pass over them.

"...Thanks, you two."

"Huh?" Mello said, as the two younger boys both turned their heads to look at L.

L bit his lip. He knew he shouldn't have said that. Now he had to figure out how to say the extremely corny reason he had said that, and they were going to laugh at him, or not understand. Which would not be fun.

"...I just meant to thank you two for being my friends. ...It is a pleasure to spend time with you guys."

There was a painful moment of awkward silence, before Near let out a small, soft laugh.

The other two looked at him, confused.

"...We're your friends because we want to be, L," Near said.

The blonde five-year-old sat up in enthusiasm. "Yeah! You're always so nice to us, L. You make us lunch, you play with us, and you tuck us in at night. We like you." Near sat up next to him and nodded in agreement.

L blinked. It was odd, but there was something about their childlike purity and and innocence despite the cruel events they'd endured throughout their life that touched him. So, without really thinking about it, he sat up and hugged them both. The two returned the gesture.

After a moment of embrace, they broke apart. "Are you two hungry?" L asked.

"Yeah!" They chorused.

L looked at the sky as they began walking back towards the orphanage. There were a few clouds in the sky, but a few stood out in peticular. Three of them, to be exact. One was larger than the other two, in them middle of them. They were moving fairly fast, enough to be noticeable, together, as a group. He then looked down at the two small children walking on either side of him, and smiled.

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A/N: You know, the inspiration to these things comes from the funniest places. I was listening to a song, trying to think of ideas for a new chapter, and it mentioned something about "stumbling." So I thought about stumbling and I could write anything about that. So I thought about what happens when someone stumbles/a symbolic meaning of stumbling, and I thought of someone who had just stumbled, doing a complete 360 and landing on their back looking up at the sky. Then I thought about looking up at the sky... and yeah... xD Wow, that was a tangent. Anyway, please review, hope you liked! :D

...On a side note, a 14-year-old L... ... -fantasize-


	9. Tsuki

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IX: "Tsuki"

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L Lawliet. "L." Whatever you prefer to call him, all the children at Wammy's House knew who the 10-year-old was. He was the genius who had come a few years ago and captured the attention of all with his amazing intellect and superb deductive abilities. Despite his popularity among the adults and the children, L did have an introverted personality and tended to spend most of his time alone. The only person he ever really connected with was Watari, and all he even did was provide him with his basic needs and occasionally do him a few favors. L had just solved a huge criminal case a week or two ago, after all – everyone was astounded at the young boy's intelligence.

Now, despite having the smarts of a man many years past him, despite his total lack of a social life, despite his shocking detective abilities, and despite his dislike to interact with others in general, L was just like any other 10-year-old boy. No matter how smart he was or how anti-social he was, he did feel lonely at times. He'd never admit it, not even to himself, but he wanted a friend. Someone who would listen to him, someone he could just feel comfortable around and spend time with. Of course, he had no knowledge of how to interact socially with other human beings, so he couldn't exactly go up to some kid and start a conversation. They'd just ask endless questions about his recent detective work, anyway.

So, every day, L would stay in his room, and whenever he came out, he wouldn't talk to a soul and just quietly be on his way to whatever his destination was.

However, today was different. He hardly ever came down for lunch or dinner, since he'd just eat sweets. But today, he did. Luckily for him no one noticed as he quietly joined the lunchroom, took a plate and filled it with some food, and then silently slipped out of the room, making sure he was not followed.

L made his way out of the orphanage door, and turned the corner around the building. It was a fairly cool spring day, the flowers starting to bloom and a gentle breeze making the grass sway on the ground. He came to the side of the building, which had a tree right next to it. He carefully slipped behind the tree, squeezing between it and the building. He proceeded to get down on all fours, crawling into a barely visible hole in the wall. He made his way through the small tunnel, and when he finally came to the secret little hideout he had been taught of years ago, he stood, and unwrapped the food from the tinfoil, setting the paper plate on the ground.

He looked around. "Where are you?"

A little yip came from the corner.

L knelt down. "There you are!"

Upon hearing L's voice, a small black figure on four legs trotted happily towards the young boy. It had smooth black fur, bright, attentive brown eyes, and soft floppy ears.

Yes, L Lawliet was hiding a puppy in the orphanage.

The story of how his secret pet came to be is an odd one, but the author is deciding to tell it to create more cute fluff that will make the fangirls (and herself) squee.

It was one of the rare days when L was outside. It's not that L disliked being outside, but most of the time the other children were out playing, and he _did_ dislike crowds and attention – and if anyone saw him, he'd be bombarded by it. However, that day it was raining – no other children were out, they were all inside. L didn't mind the rain, though. He kind of liked it. It was a break from the usual boring sunshine. And, he was able to be alone by himself and just relax.

He had shut his eyes, sitting under a tree, simply enjoying the rhythmic noise of the rain splashing on the ground. He usually did this when he sat in the ran. And in a few minutes, he'd probably head back into the orphanage and go to his room. These plans were interrupted, however, from a sudden, unexpected nudge at his side.

His eyes instantly opened and looked down to his left – and there he saw a puppy. A small, black puppy. L blinked. Did it want something? Was it under the tree in a feeble attempt to stay dry?

The puppy nudged him and let out a small whimper. L deduced that it was sad. He eyed its fur – it was soaked, all over. It had likely been out in the rain for much longer than himself. L glanced at the door to the orphanage – no, they'd never allow a dog inside. He looked back at the puppy.

"I can't bring you inside." He knew, of course, the dog could not understand his words, but it somehow felt better to tell it directly what he was thinking. L examined the puppy's neck for a collar, or identification of some sort – nothing.

He sighed and bit his thumbnail habitually. What should he do? It wasn't going to leave him alone. And – he did feel kind of bad for it. It was all alone, out in the cold rain. He stood. "Will you follow me?" He made a "come" motion with his hand, and began walking. The dog followed, making things much easier. L led it to the hole in the wall, bringing it to the secret hideout.

...And the puppy has been there since then, three days ago.

Getting back to the story, the dog leapt onto his lap, soaking L's face in kisses.

"H-hey, easy," L said, petting him. "I brought you food." He nodded towards the plate.

The puppy's eyes shone with happiness, its tail wagging a hundred miles an hour. The food was gone within a minute and a half.

L sighed and leaned against the wall though. "What am I going to do with you, though? I can't just keep you shut here all the time."

The puppy jumped onto his lap, curling up and making itself comfortable.

He patted its back slowly, biting the thumbnail of his other hand. "...Maybe Watari will understand. No, I'm sure he would. ...He'd let me keep you." He paused. "I should probably give you a name."

The puppy looked up at him with wide, innocent eyes.

"Do you like the name... Tsuki? As in moon."

It blinked.

L tried it out. "Tsuki."

It yipped in happiness.

L gave one of his rare smiles. "...Alright, Tsuki. Let's go bring you to Wa-" He stopped mid-sentence, noticing that it had begun to rain outside. The dog shook on his lap.

"Oh, you don't like the rain... ...I guess we can wait till it passes."

A few minutes passed by, without the cease of the downpour. L laid down, hugging the shaking puppy next to him. "It's okay. It'll probably stop soon. It can't hurt you."

After continuous murmurs of him telling Tsuki that it was okay, the vibrating animal slowly stopped his shaking and fell into a serene sleep. L yawned. He was tired – and it looked like the rain wasn't going to stop any time soon.

Maybe a little nap wasn't going to be bad.

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A/N: Just a little FYI, _tsuki_ literally means moon in Japanese. The reason I gave the puppy this name was because I was thinking of different names, and the first that came into my head was Light – but I didn't want to do that really. Then I thought about Light's name for a minute, and remembered that he wrote it with the character for moon, _tsuki._ So, uh, yeah. I didn't really know how to end this chapter and I couldn't bring myself to kill the little puppy or something... so yeah! xD I still hope you guys liked this one. Reviews much appreciated. :D


	10. Simplicity

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X: "Simplicity"

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The game of hide-and-seek is a simple one, enjoyed by children of all ages for generations and generations. Someone hides and waits to be found. So simple, yet it is a game everyone knows of and has played at least once it their life. However, in Wammy's House, the orphanage of geniuses, even the simplest if simple things tend to get complicated; everything must have a purpose, everything must have a result, and said result must bring one closer to the solution of a problem or solve the problem completely. In a sense this is the best way to teach a child – not to waste any effort, and work efficiently. Also, in another sense, it is the worst way to teach a child – they know not of simply goofing off, for no particular reason.

...But ignoring the author's banter, L Lawliet decided to try to teach the new children how to play a simple game, for one single purpose: to have fun. Of course, if he said it was just to have fun, they wouldn't be too keen on it probably; "fun" did not solve a problem, nor does it give a solution. And so, he said:

"Okay, I'm going to stand here against the wall and count to fifty. While I'm counting, you two hide. Then I try and find both of you. Whoever I find last will be the next one counting."

"...And the point is?"

"Well you both said you wanted to be better at deducing things. Deduce the best place to hide, then when it's your turn to seek, deduce where the other two would hide and find them quickly."

The blonde watched the other two boys talk and smiled. He knew just where to go.

The youngest boy twirled some of his silver hair with a finger, looking glancing around. Where to go, where to go...

The oldest boy faced the wall, covering his face with his arms. "Okay, Near, Mello, I'm starting. One, two, three..."

The six-year-old blonde dashed out of the room. Near sighed quietly and glanced around. Where should he hide? Behind the curtains was out of the question, his feet would be blatantly visible. Under the table? ...No, a quick glance under it and it'd be over. The basement? Ick, definitely not. He didn't particularly care for getting dirty, and that place was a mess. Maybe only as a last resort. L's room, his room... under one of the beds? No, too small, he couldn't fit.

Dozens of options ran through his mind, none satisfying his conditions. L had counted to twenty-five now, so he had already lost half his time. He almost silently exited the room – maybe some place would cross his mind when he was walking.

He kept going straight, deciding not to go up the staircase – it squeaked, and L would probably hear it. Then it came to him – the perfect – or as close he could get to perfect – hiding spot. It might be hard to get to, but easy to get out of.

The five-year-old proceeded to walk over to a table on the side of the room, standing on a chair, then climbing up onto the table top. He then reached his leg over small gap between the table and a short bookcase against the wall, brought his other leg over, and stood on it. He walked a foot down the bookcase, and looked up. This would be the hardest part of getting to his hiding spot. He stood on his tip-toes, grabbing the base of a slanted wooden beam that held the roof up. For a moment, Near simply hung there. Then he swung his legs, building up a little bit of momentum. Once his motion allowed his feet to swing up high enough, he allowed them to land on the top of a much taller bookcase. He bit his lip, holding his position for a moment; he was basically horizontal, his hands gripping the beam and his feet on the bookcase. He took a deep breath, pushing himself off the beam, his feet instantly sliding off the bookcase. Near thrust his hands forward, holding on tightly to the top of the case.

...This was definitely working out messier than he thought, but it was easy from here. He positioned his feet on one of the shelves, boosting up so he was completely on top of the bookcase. His hands stung – he looked at his palms, pink and sore. Near felt like an idiot. That could've gone much smoother. Now he'd look stupid for the rest of the day if his hands stayed like this. He'd look like – he'd look like _Mello,_ who always had some form of cut, bruise, or scrape from running around with his friend Matt all day. He shook of the thought, hearing L say "Here I come!" from the other room. He crawled on the top of the bookcase, coming to the center of the wall – where there was a small enclave due to the structure of the building, just big enough to fit him. He went inside, and waited. He looked down at the floor – no one could see him if they came through the entrance directly below him. It was impossible. He glanced at the windows – he'd be invisible from there, too. The only risk was the door that L would surely be coming through any moment. Of course, he had deduced there was no perfect hiding spot for hide-and-seek. There was no where a human being could be completely invisible to others – no where. Not here, at least. This was the closest he'd get to perfect. L wouldn't see him unless he deliberately looked up at the ceiling, anyway – he might not even see him then, if he glanced quickly – a wooden beam ran across the room from the alcove to the opposite wall, it would probably block him from view at a few angles.

Then Near heard it – the door open. He glanced down, and saw the head of a messy black-haired fifteen-year-old. The genius glanced around the room – under the tables, behind the bookshelves, at the curtains. He watched, interested, as L moved towards one of the curtains. Near himself had looked, no one was there – so his eyes widened in shock when L pulled back the curtain, to find a certain blonde child sitting on the windowsill, arms over his head.

"I found you, Mello," L said quietly.

Mello looked at him, outraged. "Come on! I sat on the windowsill so you wouldn't see my feet!"

L patted his head. "That was a good idea."

Hiding behind the curtains... sitting on the windowsill, so one's feet could not be seen. Clever... Near had not thought of that. Obviously though, it wasn't clever enough – Mello had been caught moments after the game started. Near blinked – had Mello seen him make his way to this alcove? A stupid oversight... he should've searched the room to make sure he was not seen going to his hiding place. If he had seen them and if he were for real hiding from someone who might want to bring harm to him, he'd be dead now.

...But it was just a game. So it was okay.

"...Near, are you listening? I can see you."

The silver-haired child blinked, not hearing the previous calls of the older boy. He stuck his head out of his alcove and leaned down.

L smiled up at him. "Found you."

Near blinked. He couldn't have. Not from his current location... the alcove would be invisible from the position of the beam...

"When someone says they can see you, they don't have to be telling the truth."

He stared at him. ...A simple trick. And he had been gullible enough to fall for it... a simple trick for a simple game.

The small boy crawled out of the enclave and slide down the diagonal beam, landing on top of the short bookcase, and jumping softly onto the floor, joining the other two.

"Want to go again?" Mello asked.

"I wouldn't mind. Near? You'd be seeking." L said.

"...Alright."

L patted the silver locks of hair on the youngest boy.

"...What was that for?"

L smiled. "...Thanks. I'm having fun with you guys."

Mello laughed. "You won't be having fun when you both never find me!"

"We'll see about that, Mello," said Near.

"Well hurry up then!"

Near faced the wall, covering his face with his arms. "One, two, three..."

The other two quickly left the room.

And Near smiled, even though no one could see. He was having a lot of fun.

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A/N: Er, uh, yeah. I'm unsure about this one. It's really late and I'm writing... so... uh... I can't be a great judge right now... My eyes are shutting every two seconds and I'm barely awake... oO;

Special thanks to my friend Bridgette/xXanimesroseXx from myanimelist for helping me with my writer's block and suggesting that they play a game of hide-and-seek.

Also, thanks WithABunny for reviewing! I dunno if you ever got my message. xD They really make me want to write more. :D


	11. Eternity

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XI: "Eternity"

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"I'd really rather stay in."

"The sun's not even out anymore, Near. We won't be that long, and besides, you might... well, you might have fun."

The silver-haired child dropped the puzzle piece he was about to place. It had only been a couple weeks since he started playing hide-and-seek with L and Mello. Yes, he was having fun with them, but L had said himself that the primary purpose was to enhance their deduction abilities to further train them in being a proper successor to the great detective name they all knew he would have one day. But now the fifteen-year-old was just being ridiculous. Going out for the sole purpose of having fun? Ludicrous. There was no point and it wouldn't help him at all. This wasn't going to train him in any way or make him any more intelligent.

And yet, he was throughly enjoying his time spent with his the boy he looked up to and the one who supposedly hated his guts lately. Near actually looked forward to waking up every day, quite different from his past life. It was a nice feeling, one he couldn't particularly describe – just that bright, good feeling that put him into a euphoria upon waking to the bright morning sun shining warmly in his face, as opposed to the world of misery and depression when the sun glared in his eyes when he woke, as if telling him to go crawl back into the dark hole he came out of.

So, he gave in. If L was suggesting it, it couldn't be that bad.

"Fine, then." Near stood from his puzzle and followed L out the gates of the orphanage.

"Hey, there you guys are!" Mello said, waving. "Come on, come on!"

"Yes, Mello, we're coming," L replied in his usual calm voice, with that hidden tenderness and kindness he showed to very few.

Near looked up at the sky. The hundreds of stars shone brightly in the dark sky on this truly beautiful night; it was the perfect temperature, not too warm, not too cool, and there was a very light breeze that softly fluttered across his skin and gently made his silver locks sway on his delicate skin.

"How far is it?" Mello called back to them.

"Not far. Just keep going straight, passed a few trees," L said.

The six-year-old ran and leaped over some roots that stuck up high above the ground, his blonde hair flowing freely behind him with the speed of his movements.

"Oh man, guys, come here!" The other two heard him call.

Near looked up at L, who nodded down at him as they made their way through the trees and came up behind Mello.

There was a small river that flowed between two rows of trees, and the water was crystal-clear and beautiful. However, the river wasn't really the surprising thing, they all knew it was there – what they had come here to see was the hundreds of shining fireflies floating around the river, shining brilliantly in the night air. It was fascinating how they never stopped glowing, not even for a moment, how they glowed for eternity.

L handed each of them a jar. "Go on, try and catch some."

Mello grabbed his, eagerly running to the river. "I'll catch way more than you, Near!"

Near watched him splash into the water, and looked up at L suddenly when he ruffled his hair. "Go on. If you get a little wet, you can just change back at the orphanage."

The youngest boy looked back at the river and walked over to it. He stood at the edge, and after taking the cap off the jar, he reached it up, scooping it down quickly and covering it. He held it up to his face and watched a firefly float around inside.

Near heard footsteps behind him. "Good job, you caught one," L said.

The small boy smiled a little, not looking at L. The fireflies were fun just to watch, he didn't need to catch any. However, catching them was fun as well, and besides – Mello thought he could get more! That kid always had to turn everything into a competition with him, but Near didn't mind usually. He looked over at Mello. The blonde was running around, leaping up and trying to scoop a bunch at once. The fireflies were quickly running away from him.

Near headed over in the opposite direction of Mello, to where the fireflies weren't zooming in every direction trying to escape his rival. He slowly reached up, grabbing a few more into his jar after closing it once again. He looked inside his jar – he counted four inside. Near looked at L, on the opposite side of the river. His jar was glowing brightly with the amount of fireflies inside, like he had a lantern in his hand. Near stood on his tip-toes and caught another.

This peaceful atmosphere lasted so long that it seemed like an eternity. Near wished it could stay like this forever. Everything was just so – perfect. He could just spend this pointless, useless time doing a pointless, useless game of catching fireflies – and despite the fact this didn't help him at all and this wasn't getting him anywhere in life, it was simply perfect. L was the person who always took care of him, who always make him lunch, who always spent time with him, and who he always had fun with. Mello – his rival, the person who hated him, his friend. Mello had said himself on countless occasions that he hated Near, that he'd always be better than Near in the end. And despite Mello's constant annoying antics of the such, he was fun to be around on occasions like this. Though they hadn't really spoken a word to each other this whole time, just the fact they could be around each other peacefully was a good thing – and Near did find it amusing, watching Mello leap like a frog trying to grasp his prey. Mello was good at hide-and-seek, too – it gave Near a challenge when they played it together. And to Near, challenges were, in general, fun.

Near was having the time of his life with these two people, and he never wanted it to stop.

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A/N: Sorry if that sucked. I wrote it really late at night, when I was sick. But I was so desperate to update this that I put it in. I'm having major writer's block trying to think of new ideas for this, so if you guys have any ideas PLEASE mention them in your reviews. Thanks. And of course, thanks for your reviews at all! They're what keep me going after all. :D

Special thanks to my friend Erin for the idea for this chapter. I asked her, "What did you do for fun as a child? Like anywhere from 4-10 years old." And she said, "I'd go out and catch tadpoles in puddles." Then I was thinking about that, and catching stuff, and then fireflies came into my head, and yeah... I just went from there.


	12. New

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XII: "New"

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Near blinked twice, covering his face with his hand. He still could've believe he ended up out here – because of _Mello,_ of course – he wasn't going to protest though, since it had been a fair bet and he just happened to lose. With his free hand, the seven-year-old twisted a lock of his silver hair, which glimmered in the sunlight, idly. He looked down, shuffling his feet, watching the dirt he kicked up turn into little clouds and disappear or silently settle on his sneakers.

Around twenty minutes before, or so, L, Near, and Mello had been inside the orphanage, muling over what to do that day. Mello desperately wanted to go outside and play a new game Near had never heard of, and Near just wanted to stay inside. Perhaps play hide-and-seek. He liked that game.

L had walked over to a puzzle Near was working on, retrieved something, and came back and said, "One of my hands has the puzzle piece in it. Each of you pick a hand and whoever gets the hand with the piece in it decides what we do today."

A simple 50/50 gamble. Near had been against the idea, because he knew if Mello happened to win he'd pick something that Near would surely disdain, but he went along with it anyway. After all, L would probably prevent something that would bring physical harm to either of them, and there was a 50 chance he'd win...

But, he lost. So, he stood on this dirt field, continuing to shuffle his feet.

"Yo, Near! Pay attention!" Mello called at him.

Near looked up. He wasn't even sure how to play this game entirely, so he just awaited instruction.

"Near, if the ball comes towards you, you have to catch it, then throw it to me," L said.

Near nodded. Pretty simple.

Nine-year-old Mello had a long stick in his hand – he called it a bat – and he was staring at L, who was directly in front of him, though some good twenty feet away.

"Ready, Mello?"

"Of course. Don't bother running for it, Near, it'll be way too far for you to have to."

Near blinked. L said to catch it, Mello said don't bother, but Mello's words were false around 60 of the time, and that was likely a taunt.

L threw a small-ish white ball at Mello, and he swung the bat at it, sending it flying, still on the ground though, right towards Near. Mello began to run to one of the four (including the one Mello had started at) white markers on the diamond-shaped field.

"Near, throw it to me!" L said.

Near lowered his hand with the glove on it down (Mello had given a rather large, awkwardly large glove to the three of them) and the ball rolled in. Putting it in his other hand, he tossed it to L.

L caught it, and ran to the same marker that Mello was heading for. L got there before him. Mello seemed angered by this.

"That's not fair!" He said. "You're bigger and faster than me!"

Near understood the basic gist of the game now.

"I'll pitch," Mello said. L offered up the ball and Mello angrily took it out of his hand and headed over to where L stood before.

"Near, try batting. I'll field."

As Near headed over to the opposite end of the field, L said, "Just hit the ball with the bat when Mello throws it at you."

Near didn't really like the idea of Mello throwing something at him, but he sighed and took up the bat, after taking off his glove.

Mello shot the ball at him, and Near had to suddenly step back to avoid it hitting his torso.

"Hey, Mello, watch where you're throwing, okay?" L called.

The blonde sighed and held his glove up. "Toss it to me, Near."

Near picked up the ball and did so, and took up the bat again.

This time, Mello threw the ball properly.

Now, Near was a small child – not only because he was seven years old, but he was small even for someone who was seven. After all, he never really exercised and didn't really eat all that much, so he remained underweight and with little strength.

So, when he swung at the ball with all his might, it went quite a short distance. Not only because of his lack of power, but the bat was heavy and hard to swing, so he barely clipped the ball with the side.

Nevertheless, he hit it.

Copying what Mello had done earlier, Near dropped the bat and ran for the first white marker.

Mello ran forward, picking up the ball, and then he also began to run towards first base. However, since Near had gotten much of a headstart, he arrived first.

"That's not fair! He bunted!"

"He didn't bunt. He swung at it," L said.

"Yeah, but it only went the distance of a bunt!"

"Even if he did bunt, bunting is allowed in baseball."

Mello scowled, kicking some dirt.

The sun beat down on them. It was quite hot out.

"Do you guys want to go back inside?" L asked.

"Fine."

"Alright."

Thus, the trio headed back.

Near looked at the ground as he walked, so as to avoid the sun's glare. Baseball was definitely a new and interesting experience.

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A/N: Sorry if this one kinda sucked. I dunno. I'm really running of ideas. Please share.


	13. Cooperation

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XIII: "Cooperation"

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It was large. No, large is an understatement. It was huge. Massive. For a puzzle, anyway. I mean, five feet by five feet is pretty damn big puzzle. The author thinks so, anyway.

Despite the size of the challenge, literally and figuratively, eighteen-year-old L Lawliet was ready to take it on. He'd take on any sort of intellectual game. He'd take on any sort of challenge, and single-handedly complete it without error.

However, today was different. Yes, of course he'd do the puzzle. But today, he decided to work not alone, but with his two favorite orphans.

"L, this is boring," said Mello.

"If it's boring, you may leave."

The eight-year-old glared at the orphan sitting across from him. If he left, it would be L and Near who completed the puzzle. Not L, Near, and Mello. So with a heavy sigh, he continued to look over pieces and put them in.

After a minute, L said, "I'm glad you decided to stay."

"How come?"

The black-haired detective gave a small shrug, not looking up and continuing to put pieces in. "Well, I find personal enjoyment in spending time with you and Near. Also, I think this is good practice for you two learning to cooperate better with each other."

Mello scowled at the thought of working with Near, glancing across at the silver-haired child. The locks of his fine hair covered his face as he silently put in pieces, looking downwards at the puzzle.

"...Near, you haven't said anything for quite a while. Is something wrong?"

The seven-year-old looked up slowly and shook his head. "...No. I'm just concentrating." He looked down, his hair sliding down his face once more, as he began to work at the puzzle again.

"Well it's not going to be any fun if we just sit here in silence. It will turn out quite boring, actually," L said, taking a sip from his cup.

"...Won't we finish faster if we just focus?"

"Is the result all that matters?"

"Yes."

L looked at the child, intrigued. "Why do you say that?"

Near put another piece into the puzzle, his sleeve that were too long for him reaching almost to the end of his thumb. He paused, thinking. After a moment, he gave his reply: "...For example, if there's a serial killer on the loose – and you have to capture a hostage, and unfortunately that hostage dies, but do to the hostage being taken, you're able to capture the murderer – with that one person dying you've saved dozens."

"That's a morbid example."

"It's the only thing that came to mind," Near said, twisting one his his silver locks with two fingers, which still covered his face as he looked down at the puzzle.

"But that's not right," Mello suddenly said.

Near and L looked at him.

"I mean – the hostage was innocent, right? That's so unfair to them. And their family."

"Well what about all the victims that were saved due to that hostage being captured? They were innocent, too," Near commented.

Mello stood up. "Well then find another way that doesn't involve a hostage!"

"What if that's the only way?"

"Don't bother with 'what if's,' there's no way that'd be the only way!"

"It's not impossible."

Mello took a step towards Near, but L raised his hand. "Stop. Both of you, calm down. And by both of you, I mostly mean Mello."

The blonde glared at the detective, but obeyed by stepping back and sitting back at his side of the puzzle.

And so, the trio began working once again, and silence reigned over the room for what seemed like hours. Autumn-colored leaves fell past the windows in the chilly October air, and occasionally the wind could be heard giving a soft howl in accompaniment with the tree branches scratching against the walls and window panes. The only sound within the room to be heard was the soft tick-tick of the seconds hand of the clock as the minutes went by. If one of them went to switch the position they sat in, the floor boards would creak. Other than that and the sound produced when L took a sip of his cup, the room was silent except for the soft tap of a piece being put into the puzzle.

Finally, a new noise entered the atmosphere: "Mello, would you pass me that piece?"

The blonde looked across from himself at the source of the voice, and was met with the gaze of a small child with silver hair, one lock being fiddled with by two of his fingers. He nodded towards a piece Mello had just put down on the wooden floor after not being able to find the appropriate spot in the puzzle for it.

"Yeah." He picked it up, and dropped it into Near's outstretched hand.

"Would you pass me that one?" He asked in return, pointing to another."

Near looked at said piece, then to Mello's side of the puzzle. After a moment, he said, "Why? It doesn't go anywhere over there."

"Yes it does, right here, see?"

"It doesn't go there, though."

"Yes it does! Let me see!"

Near let out a sigh, holding out the requested piece, and Mello quickly snatched it from his hand. The blonde put – well, attempted to put – the piece into a blank spot, and after a minute of trying to squeeze it in, found it did not fit. Just like Near had said. Near had been right, and he had been wrong. Of freaking course. He scowled, tossing the piece back to Near's side.

"You seem upset, Mello," L said.

"Of course I'm upset!"

"Because Near was right and you were wrong? It's nothing to be too down about. I understand losing a little motivation, but you can't be right all the time."

"Don't you get it?!" Mello stood. "This is why I can't work with him!" He pointed towards Near, who continued to silently put pieces into the puzzle, his hair covering his face.

"Why's that?"

Mello let out an exasperated sigh. "Look at him! He doesn't even care that I'm talking about him! He's so emotionless and just cares about getting things done!!"

"Isn't that the most efficient?"

"It doesn't matter if it's the most efficient! If it hurts other people, it's best to find another way, even if it's not the most efficient! The ends don't always justify the means, and he doesn't get that!"

L blinked. These two were so alike, and yet so different. He wanted them to succeed him as L. Together. He didn't tell them this, of course.

After a moment of silence, they realized that the sound of Near putting in the pieces had stopped. The two looked at him. There were only five pieces left. The seven-year-old was struggling to figure out how they fit in.

Much to Near and L's surprise, Mello walked over to Near's side, crouching next to him. The silver-haired child looked at him, not knowing what he was going to do. The blonde was not looking at him, but glancing between the blank spot in the middle of the puzzle and the pieces in Near's hand.

"...What is it? ...What do you want?" Near finally asked.

"...Like this," Mello said quietly. Silently, and almost gently, he took the pieces one by one out of Near's hand and put them into the puzzle correctly, his orangey-blonde hair swaying slightly as he leaned forward and back, occasionally and softly gliding across the side of Near's face. The puzzle was finally complete.

The trio sat in an agonizing silence for what might've been years.

L chose to break the everlasting stillness. "Good job, you two."

Near continued to look at Mello, who did not return his gaze. He had a lot of this by himself – most of it, almost. He only messed up at the very end. He was about to win, victory was so close, but he would have failed if it had not been for Mello. And L would've likely solved it. L would have been superior, as usual, and the enemy – the puzzle – would've defeated Near. However, Mello had saved him from the defeat of the enemy.

"...Thank you, Mello," The small child said.

Mello finally returned his stare. For a moment, the two looked at each other – as if boring holes into the other, reading each other's emotions, searching for hidden intentions, and maybe – just perhaps – understanding the other just a little bit more.

"Whatever," Mello said, looking away. "It was easy."

Near continued to look at him, before directing his attention towards L upon hearing his voice.

"Do you guys want lunch?" He asked.

"Alright," said Near.

"Fine," said Mello.

The three stood. The smaller children headed towards the door, but L remained in his postion, looking down at the completed puzzle.

"You coming?" Asked the blonde.

L looked at him, and at the silver-haired, shorter child next to him.

If they were to succeed him as L together, they would surely surpass him.

"Yes, I'm coming."

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A/N: Er... uh... yeah... um... I didn't think I'd get this done all in one night! Well the clock says 12:26AM and I'm pretty sure I started around 11:30 or so... I guess I can only write at night? Anyway, if it wasn't obvious, this idea is credited to WithABunny! Yay! Thanks so much! I think this is one of my favorite little shorts too that I've done. Thanks much for the idea! I think L mighta been a little OOC but I liked it anyway. xD; If the metaphor was kinda too out there or no one understood it cuz it was too vague (I honestly think I tried too hard to imply it and it ended up crappy but oh well) the puzzle is Near's "enemy" (aka Light) and Mello saved him (as Light would've beat Near if Mello hadn't kidnapped Takada because he wouldn't have realized the possibility of the fake notebook and he would've fallen short to L). But since they worked together, they solved the puzzle before L and triumphed over the enemy! Huzzah!

WOW that was a long A/N. xD Anyway, I'd like to give thanks for the constant reviews guys, they really keep me going! See you next time, and feel free to add more ideas!


	14. Thoughts

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XIV: "Thoughts"

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"I got it!"

He slid on the ground fast as a rabbit, covering his black shirt and pants in light dirt, and the small crowd of children cheered.

"Great catch!"

"I wish I could be like Mello!"

"He's so cool!"

The blonde eight-year-old stood and dusted off his pants a little before being swarmed by his teammates. Thanks to his catch, his team had just beat the other in a friendly competition of baseball.

Near had been watching it out the window for the past hour an a half or so. After all, it was impossible not to notice the screams and cheers of the other orphans as they excitedly watched the game, as if it were the World Series.

Mello still had a lot of fans. Especially among the younger children. It was true what he always said though, that his popularity and rank as L's number 1 successor had fallen since Near arrived. Now it was all a competition. A competition to see who L would want to be his successor, who was the smarter, who was the best.

And Near always came out on top.

It's not like he meant to. He just – _did._ He didn't want Mello to feel bad the way he did, to feel like he was always second. He knew that Mello felt terrible. He knew he was miserable. He knew he strove for nothing more than to beat Near, and always failed.

That's why Near had offered on countless occasions to work together with Mello. The two of them would be unstoppable.

But no, no, Mello couldn't swallow his damn pride and work with him.

He almost – he almost wanted Mello to win, to let him win something, so he could feel a little better...

But no.

That was not Near's way. Mello would be able to tell, anyway.

...No, that's not it.

That was not the way of L.

L. Only eighteen and likely the greatest detective to ever live. Ever since he was fourteen, he's solved case after case flawlessly and swiftly, ones even a whole police force could not crack. Upon Near's arrival at the Wammy House and the discovery of his intellect that matched that of L's, he was instantly moved to the head of the line to be is successor, right next to Mello. And that's how the eternal rivalry started.

Near shook his head silently. No, not eternal. There is no way this game could go on for the rest of their lives... the game of get to the goal first, the game of be better than Near, the game of being L's successor...

Yes. It was all a game. Just a game. No need to worry so much about games... right?

That's what he'd been trying to tell himself lately, but it wasn't working.

It's not like being the one to succeed L was an easy thing. Near was only six and he had to worry about carrying on the name of the greatest detective ever. He _had_ to be good enough. There was no other option. He _could not_ fail. Everyone expected so much of him. They expected him to solve anything, to do anything, to be a genius all the time.

There were times when he wished he could just go away, just make it all stop. Times when he wanted to run away, to escape. Nobody ever took his thoughts into consideration. What if he didn't want to succeed L? What if he didn't want to be a detective? He did, but if he didn't, it wouldn't matter. They needed a pure genius, someone as good and as smart as L, and he was the only one.

He turned his head to look out the window, light pouring down and making a square on the floor with a plus symbol in the middle due to the wood across the panes. Mello was out there playing with his friends.

That's the only way Mello kept himself together. He spent time with other people and had fun. It got his mind off things and he was able to enjoy himself and just be a kid for a good amount of time.

Near didn't have that option, either.

More people admired him for his intelligence than Mello, but that didn't mean Near had more friends. No, to be frank, he didn't have _any_ friends. Yes, it was partly his fault – he never went outside, the sun bothered him – but it wasn't _all_ his fault. No one had been warm to him and offered him friendship and support. No one had bothered to think of the unfathomable pressure on his young, small shoulders, and offer him help.

No one except L.

L, the source of all his problems, stress, grief, agony. If L wasn't there, if L didn't exist – Near could live the life of a normal six-year-old orphan. He would have friends, he wouldn't be a weird genius whose only purpose was to succeed a super detective. He'd go to a regular school and meet normal kids. He wouldn't be Mello's rival. He wouldn't even be Near, he'd be Nate River.

Near hated L for this.

But he also loved L.

L, the source of all his happiness, comfort, support, love. If L wasn't there, if L didn't exist – Near would've fallen apart. Long ago. He would've committed suicide like the first boy set to succeed L, A. Only when he was around L could he feel like he could be himself. L was a good person that he _wanted_ to be like, he _wanted_ to succeed. He wanted that honor.

Near stopped fiddling with a strand of his hair.

Never once had he thought about the stress L had to deal with.

He was the greatest detective alive. People expected him to solve every case handed to him. They expected him to do everything flawlessly. They expected him to be a genius all the time. He was barely an adult himself, and yet had the lives of others in the palms of his hands.

Yet despite all that, he still found time to play with Near, comfort him, tuck him in, make his lunch, wake him up, build things with him, support him, help him, guide him, be his only true friend and his only family.

His only source of happiness.

L never had those luxuries as a child. He didn't have anyone to do those things for him. He didn't have anyone who understood his position.

And with those thoughts, Near loved L just a little bit more, and hated him just a little bit less.

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A/N: Holy crap it's 2:30 AM! xD Uh, anyway... Yes, I hath presented thee with a Near-centric fic. Thanks to WithABunny's suggestion. :D I highly enjoyed writing this one. I couldn't really think of a way to end it and I'm getting REALLY tired here so sorry if parts/all of it kinda suck... xD I kinda started it as Near's thoughts on L/Mello but then it kinda turned into a Near's thoughts on L only fic... which I don't mind but it feels messy and disorganized personally to me. xD; I hope I expressed a younger Near's thoughts realistically... Uh, anyway. Review please, hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did writing it! :D

Reviews:

**WithABunny: **Thanks for another wonderful and motivating review! As you can see, I've yet again used your idea. xD Thanks so much. That's probably my favorite chapter too. I'll most definitely take you up on the L/Near/Mello/Bells proposal. Great idea. And episode 25 embedded in your head?! Dx That is depressing. Hope it gets un-bedded soon. ):

**Link4all: **Thanks for the review!


	15. Bells

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XV: "Bells"

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_Ding, dong..._

_Ding, dong..._

"Hey, there are the bells. Someone new came?"

_Ding, dong..._

"Oh, maybe. There's three dongs."

_Ding, dong..._

"Oh, no!"

The bells stopped.

"They rung four times!"

"Oh, my..."

"...Who was it...?"

"Probably the dorm manager of the third dorm... he was old and sickly."

"What a shame..."

The children let out a sigh of sadness before continuing their walk.

Mello, who had been listening in, returned to his Gameboy. "Ah, so that dorm manager died? That sucks."

"Yes, it's likely."

Mello looked from the Gameboy."...L, shouldn't you be packing or something?"

"Pack what?" The twenty-year-old replied.

Mello shrugged, returning to his game.

"Speaking of the bells, when are you going to go ring them, L?" Near said, not looking up from his puzzle.

"I was going to go in a few minutes, but I don't want to cause a disturbance by ringing them right after someone has passed on. So I will probably go in an hour or so."

"Can we come?" Mello asked.

"I don't see why not."

And so, the three continued about their usual business. The gray sky darkened slightly as night drew closer, and a light slow fell silently onto the ground. Despite the snow, it wasn't that cold out – barely cold enough to snow. There was no sign of a breeze or wind, so the only sound was that of the children's feet going _crunch crunch _against the snow that had already piled up and their voices as they talked to one another. The trees were bare and still due to the lack of wind, and the even coating of snow was disturbed in most places with footprints, or rarely an animal track such as a rabbit.

About an hour of unusual silence in this atmosphere rolled by, until L said: "Well, do you want to head out now?"

Words of agreement sounded, and the trio stood and walked out into the cool twilight. The snow continued its seemingly eternal, silent rain. There was a light breeze now, hitting them dead-on, causing their hair to blow behind them slightly and brush their bangs softly against their skin. Near shook his arms, causing the sleeves that were too long for him to further fall, covering his hands. Mello rubbed his arms, shivering lightly, and L walked unperturbed with his usual slouch and hands in his pockets.

After a short walk, the group arrived at the bell tower, and L opened the wooden doors which gave a loud _creak _due to their age. Once the children were inside, he shut them, giving a resounding _clung _and a _clack _as the door knockers tapped against the doors upon impact of being shut. Mello quickly brushed the snow out of his hair, followed by Near and L.

The three headed up the spiral stone stairs in silence. The tower was fairly dark, the only source of light the windows on the side. Near looked out one as they headed up – the snow was picking up its pace, and the sky was darkening.

The tower wasn't terribly tall, so the trio reached the top in a fairly short amount of time and climbed up out of the stairs onto the top. The snow didn't land on their heads like when they took the walk here; there was a pointed roof-like structure above them, supported by four pillars that rose up from each corner of the base tower. And in this roof-like structure hung two bells.

"Do you want me to ring the other one for you, L?" Mello asked.

"I won't be ringing one," the detective replied, not looking at the ten-year-old, but simply gazing out at the seemingly endless scenery that stretched on and on from this high viewpoint. The wind blew against him, brushing his bangs out of his sight.

"What? But you're the one leaving," Mello said, the wind blowing his hair behind him.

"I'd rather have you and Near ring them."

"But –"

"Mello. He's leaving tonight. We should grant his last wish," The eight-year-old interrupted, fiddling with a strand of his hair, looking in the opposite direction L was.

"...Fine."

The two walked over to opposite ends of each bell, facing one another, and took hold of the rope attached to their bell. In unison, they swung in opposite directions.

_Ding, dong..._

L looked up at the sky – snow continued to fall, coming down harder. It reminded him of when he first came to the Wammy House, with Watari – it was snowing then, too. He had little memory of life before then. It was something he tried not to think about as a child, for the sole purpose of forgetting his past.

_Ding, dong..._

He looked down and to the left. He saw the Wammy House – the place he'd grown up. The place where he'd learned everything. The place he became who he was – the world's greatest detective, role-model of Wammy House orphans, the one Near and Mello were to succeed.

_Ding, dong..._

The two bells made such a beautiful noise when working together.

_Ding, dong..._

He looked behind himself. Both the children rung the bells in unison. Their hair swayed not only in the wind, but in the movement they had to put forth to ring the large, golden beacons.

He was really going to miss them.

_Ding, dong..._

The powerfully loud chants of the bells ended, the echo resounding in the sky.

Five dongs of the bells, the signal of an orphan leaving the Wammy House.

Five dongs of the bells – the bells that signaled all aspects of life, from birth to death, arrival to departure, beginning to end.

These bells were special though.

They were not only signaling the departure of L Lawliet.

They also signaled the beginning of a new time period.

The weak echo died out – the children's small arms had not been strong enough to let it resound for too long.

However, one day, they would be strong enough to let the echo resound for years and years, making the bells ring louder than ever before, defeating all that stood in their way.

L was sure that their bells would someday be even louder than his own.

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A/N: Well. It's only 9:40PM. I hope you all enjoyed that chapter. Ahh, so bittersweet. I might keep this as the last chapter and add more in between this and the others... I know all my other oneshots aren't chronological at all, but I might keep this one at the end because it really is their last day together and I think it wraps it up nicely? I dunno. I really hope I was able to put some significance and meaning into the bells L mentioned in episode 25. Anyway! Please review, it's much appreciated.

**WithABunny: **I'm glad to see someone who loves Near as well! xD He is my second favorite character, very close to my first (which, of course, is L-sama -swoons over L-). I'm really glad I could answer your questions! And I'm almost even happier that it's accurate. I always worry when I write – "Would he/she really do this/feel this way?" Basically I worry ALL the time about making people OOC. I'm glad the relationship and his thoughts seem likely, too. And oh no! Get it out of your head! Quick! Go watch episode 37 for Near-pwning-awesomeness and the ability to laugh at Light Im-a-gay for acting like a retarded douche as he gets shot by freaking MATSUDA! xD Don't worry about the outburst – you should seem me when I watch 25. It is not good. Dx And don't worry about not coming up with an idea – I'm supposed to be the one coming up with the ideas anyway, I shouldn't have to rely on my reviewers! xD Of course it's still much appreciated. And it's my pleasure to update, really. I enjoy writing these, and my only hope is that others enjoy reading them just as much.

I'd like to thank you for being my best reviewer, ever, period. xD They're a delight to read, and after a post a chapter, I'm constantly checking my email being like – did Bunny review yet? -Refresh- Did Bunny review yet? -Refresh- Now? And so on. xD So thank you! I always look forward to your reviews.

Anyway, to anyone else who may be reading, thank you for reading. I write for the enjoyment of myself and others. See you all next chapter!


	16. Moment

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XVI: "Moment"

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The door creaked opened lightly, as a small child peered in through the tiny crack he had made, looking inside the room.

"Hmm? Come in," a voice replied within.

The boy opened the door fully and stepped in. "Sorry to disturb you."

The sixteen-year-old teenager stopped typing at his computer and wheeled around in his chair to face the visitor, the only light source in the room that was the computing lighting his silhouette from behind. "I wasn't doing anything important. What did you want?"

"Do you remember childhood?"

"...What?"

"What 'childhood' did you have?"

It was very rare that L lost his cool, but being asked a question like that so suddenly by the four-year-old caught him a little off-guard.

"...What do you mean?" He asked, composing himself.

"Well... you've never talked about what you lived like before you came here. ...All I heard is that it wasn't a nice past... I don't want to make you talk about it but I was just wondering..."

L merely sat in his crouch position, simply staring at the child, who looked down at his feet, shuffling them nervously.

He was at a loss for words.

Should he tell the young boy of his gruesome and terrible past?

No, he can't stain his mind with such things. He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something special about the boy – perhaps it was his pure mind, untainted the darkness of the world, or perhaps it was his innocent soul, unstained with the cruelness of man. Whatever it was, he didn't want to damage it.

"...Near. Come here."

The young boy blinked, but did as he was told.

L slipped off his chair, crouching in front of of him.

He put his hand on the soft, silver locks atop his head, and spoke softly. "Near... the past doesn't matter. It's important that we move on. We need to focus on issues at hand and move onto the future. If we sit here rambling on the past all day, where are we going to get?"

Near looked up at him. L was a person of few words, but when he did speak, it had this enigmatic aura of mystery and meaning to it.

He deduced he didn't want to talk about his past. After all, most people with troubling origins had difficulty talking about such things.

...But maybe he did mean what he said, maybe it was true – maybe the past didn't matter, maybe we really do just have to move on.

The child dismissed the thought process – he was still only four, and things like this were still a little much for him to comprehend.

He trusted L, too. If he said the past didn't matter – he believed him.

So he threw his arms around him.

"Okay, L."

After a second, L returned the gesture.

He felt a lot better – like he had gotten something that had been sitting for so long off his chest. That was odd, though, he thought – it's not like he delved into his traumatic past with the boy.

He dismissed the thought process, though. After all – why dwell over it?

For this moment, he didn't have to worry about solving a case, training his successors, seeing child after child in the orphanage put under the pressure of taking his place, or anything else.

For a moment, things were perfect.

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A/N: First things first: I am SO sorry for the terribly long-due update... I hit a total writer's block and just could not think of anything. But then my friend mentioned something about stars – and it hit me. This chapter started out going to be about them stargazing, but after that wall of writer's block was broken down, idea after idea starting flowing and I decided to begin with this.

It felt a little all over the place to me – not only do I have about ten million things running through my head right now, but it's late _and _I'm out of practice for writing – but nonetheless I had fun writing it and I hope you liked it. (: I know we have no idea what L's past was like, but I always pictured it being very dark. And it's fanfiction, so hey! It works. xD

**WithABunny: **Well this is a really late reply to your review but here we go anyway! xD Yes, the Japanese word for 4 also is death. That's how I decided on four bell dongs. (: Anyhow, I was elated to hear that my writing is getting better! :D I've always wanted to be good at it. Creating imagery is probably my favorite part of writing, and it's what I try to focus on the most – could you tell? xD – and I love reading works with good imagery in them too. I'm super glad you liked the chapter. I really hope you haven't given up on me now due to my ridiculous hiatus and keep reviewing. xD; Also, I'm sure your writing would be awesome. I'll look forward to the day you publish a story. :D

Again, sorry to all who may be reading this for the huge delay. Thanks for sticking with me!


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